Day One: Paradise

CONNECT

Set up a simple game you can play together. This can be as simple as tossing a ball of paper or coin into a cup, tossing a ball to each other without letting it drop to the ground, or knocking down cans. When kids miss, you can give them more chances to try again.

In life, we often get second chances. This is what happened in our story today: Someone who was about to die got a second chance.

READ THE WORD

One of the criminals who were hanged railed at him, saying, “Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!” But the other rebuked him, saying, “Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.” And he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” And he said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.” Luke 23:39–43

Jesus was hanging on the cross between two criminals. One of them mocked Jesus and challenged Him to save Himself. But the other criminal, because he knew that Jesus was being punished even though He had done nothing wrong, had a change of heart and recognized Him as the ruler of the kingdom of heaven.

Even in his last moments, the criminal had the chance for repentance, and he took it. He acknowledged his sinfulness and trusted in Jesus. It didn’t matter what the criminal had done in the past—because of his faith in Jesus, he was welcomed into God’s presence in paradise.

No matter how many mistakes we’ve made, we can always turn to Jesus and trust in Him. The thief didn’t do anything to earn Jesus’ forgiveness—he simply believed and asked. Jesus showed him grace, which is available to us today.

HUDDLE

Parents to Kids

2–6 years old

• What did the thief ask Jesus to do? What was Jesus’ reply?
• Does Jesus forgive us when we ask Him?

7–12 years old

• What do you think grace means?
• What did you learn about forgiveness from this story?

Kids to Parents

• Share about a time when you experienced God’s grace and forgiveness.

The story of the thief on the cross shows us that it’s never too late to turn to Jesus. Salvation is not something we earn by being good or doing good things. It’s a gift from God because He loves us. When we have a change of heart and put our faith in Jesus, He promises us eternal life with Him.

PRAY

Dear God, thank You for Your amazing grace. We know we don’t deserve Your love or to live in Your presence, but You allow us to experience these freely. Help us know we have an eternal home with You because of Your grace. Thank You for the promise of eternal life with You. In Jesus’ name, amen.

DISCOVER

In the Roman Empire, crucifixion was one of the most painful and shameful ways to die. It was used for criminals and enemies of the state. Even though the thief was being punished for his crimes, Jesus offered him forgiveness and the promise of eternal life, showing us that no one is beyond God’s grace!